Timepiece attachment for automobiles.



F. M. DALE.

TIMEPIECE ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMOBILES. APPLICATION FILED AuG.5, 1915.

Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

- UNITED STA PAENT oFFioE.

FRANK M. DALE, OF SULLIVAN, INDIANA ASSIGNOR 'IO MOTORING CLOCK MANUFAC- TURING COMPANY, OF SULLIVAN, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

TIMEPIEC E ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMOBILES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK M. DALE, a citizen of. the United States, residing at Sullivan, Sullivan county, and State of Indiana, have invented and discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Timepiece Attachments for Automobiles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to time-piece attachments for automobiles and particularly to improvements upon the device shown and described in my application Serial No. 877 ,864' filed December 18, 1914 (Patent No. 1,153,609 dated September 14, 1915).

The object of the invention is to provide readily detachable means for supporting the timepiece.

My invention is embodied in preferable form in the device and modifications thereof hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In these drawings, Figure 1 is a side view in elevation, partly in section, of one form of the device; Fig. 2, a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a side view in elevation, partly in section, of a modified form of the device; Fig. 5, a section on the line 55 of Fig. 4, looking up; Fig. 6, a top plan View of the watch and its holder shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 7, a side view in elevation, partly in section, of another modified form and Fig. 8, a section on the line 88 of Fig. 7

Referring to the drawings and first to the device illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, 1 designates the steering wheel of an automobile, 2 the shaft thereof, 3 the hub receiving portion of the shaft, 4 the hub of the wheel, and 5 the usual threaded reduced stem at the upper end of the shaft. On this stem is a nut 6 which is adapted to clamp the shaft and hub together. Mounted on the hub and held in place by the nut is a supporting and time-piece receiving member 7 which has a hollow upper chamber 8 intowhich depends the case of a time-piece such as a watch or a clock 9, the rim of which rests upon the upper edge of the supporting member and which is provided with a spring catch arm 10, depending from the outer wall of the case of the time-piece and having at its free end a button 11 which is adapted to roject through an aperture in the shell of the supporting member for the purpose of re- Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

leasably holding the time-piece in position i in the member 7 By pressing in the button the time-piece may be released from engagement with the supporting member and removed for winding or adjustment. 12 is the winding'stem and 13 the adjusting stem of the time-piece.

The member 7 is provided with depending vertical flange members or legs 14 which are separated for a suflicient distance to permit the nut 6 on the end of the shaft to be inserted between the legs when the device is assembled. These legs terminate at their lower end in an annular horizontal ring 15 which rests upon the upper end of the hub 4 of the steering wheel and is clamped against the same by means of the nut. The nut may be adjusted by a wrench applied thereto between the depending legs of the supporting member and the attachment may be readily removed from the steering wheel shaft by releasing the nut. Itwill be'seen that this construction enables the utilization of the ordinary steering wheel shaft and its hub and the ordinary clamping nut employed therefor as the means for supporting and securing the attachment in place.

The watch may also be readily removed from the supporting memoer by simply pressing in the spring catch and lifting the watch from the receptacle.

In Figs. 4, 5, and 6, a modified form of construction is illustrated in which a timepiece holding member is made integral with the clamping and supporting nut. In this arrangement 16 is the steering wheel, 17 the hub thereof, 18 the shaft and 19 the threaded stem at the upper end of the shaft. Adapted to engage this threaded stem and to be clamped against the hub to hold the latter on the shaft is a nut 20. Integral with this nut is a cup-shaped receiving member having curved spring arms 21 forming a clip into which the watch 22 is adapted to be pressed. One of the arms 21 is forked to permit the stem 23 of, the watch to project therethrough.

In Figs. 7 and 8, another modification is illustrated in which 24 is the steering wheel, 25 the hub thereof, 26 the shaft and 27 the threaded upper stem of the shaft. On this stem is adapted to be mounted a nut28. In this arrangement the supporting means for the time-piece is made integral with the case of said time-piece and consists of opposite separated legs 29, depending from the time-piece case and having separated horizontal feet members which are adapted to be clamped between the nut 28 and the hub 25. The nut is adapted to be inserted between the legs and screwed down upon the members 30 so as to clamp the time-piece supporting member firmly in place.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. In combination with a steering wheel of an automobile and the shaft and hub of said wheel, said shaft having an integral threaded portion extending above said hub, a wheel clamping nut on said threaded portion, a time piece separate from the nut and movable relatively thereto, and time-piece supporting means intermediate the nut and time piece and having means for the retention thereof by the nut.

2. In combination with a steering wheel of an automobile and its hub and the shaft,

said shaft having a threaded portion extending above the hub, a hub and shaft clamping nut on said extended portion, a tlme-piece, and a member intermediate said nut and time-piece and separable therefrom and having means at its upper part to detachably receive and retain the time-piece and having a circumferential horizontal portion at its lower part adapted to detach ably engage and be retained by said nut.

3. In combination with the steering wheel of an automobile, the hub and shaft of said wheel, and the threaded stem of said shaft extending above the hub, a nut for clamping the hub and shaft together, a time-piece, a supporting member for the time-piece separable therefrom and having means for detachable engagement with said nut.

4. In combination with a steering wheel of an automobile, and the hub andshaft of said wheel, said shaft having a stem projecting above the hub, a clamping member mounted on said stem, a time-piece supporting member having means adapted to be clamped in position by said. clamping member.

5. In combination with a steering wheel of an automobile and its hub and shaft, a clamping nut for said hub and shaft, a time retain said supporting member.

piece, supporting means for the time piece, said means having a horizontal. portion adapted to extend between the nut and hub and be clamped by the former.

6. In combination with a steering wheel of an automobile and its hub and shaft, said shaft having a threaded stem projecting above the hub, a nut for clamping the shaft to the hub, a time piece, depending support; ing means for said time piece having means adapted to be clamped between the nut and hub, said supporting means being divided circumferentially to permit of the insertion of the nut.

7. In combination with a steering wheel of an automobile and its hub and shaft, said shaft having a threaded stem extending above the hub, a hub and shaft clamping nut on said stem, a time piece separate from the nut, a time piece holding member having integral depending legs circularly arranged and spaced apart, and each terminating in a horizontal portion. adapted to be clamped between the nut and hub.

8. In combination with a steering wheel of an automobile and its hub and shaft, said shaft having a threaded stem extending above the hub, a clampingnut on said stem, a time piece, a time piece supporting member having a depending portlon, said portion terminating in an annular horizontal ring adapted to be clamped between the nut and hub.

9. In combination with the steering wheel shaft having a stem extending above the hub, a time piece, a time piece supporting member separate from the time piece and provided with resilient clasp means to detach'ably engage said time piece, and means directly engaging said shaft and adapted to clamp said wheel and also to detachably In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal at Indianapolis, Marion county, Indiana, this 24th day of July, A. D. nineteen hundred and fifteen.

FRANK M. DALE. [1 s.] Witnesses: A. 0. RICE, II. P. DOOLITTLE.

. of an automobile and its hub and shaft, said 

